Think Tank Celebrates Recent Expansion and Rebranding Ninja Style
What a week! I’m sitting here, feet up, reflecting on the past week and how mind-blowing it was. Seriously, it was totally Ninja-rific. We at Think Tank celebrated our recent expansion and rebranding with an incredible ribbon cutting ceremony and open house. And, despite my blistered feet (but, were those shoes worth it!), I think the evening ranked in one of the top 5 nights of my life.
Honestly, there was nothing better than hanging out with our clients, friends, vendors, and business colleagues drinking good wine, eating amazing food, and taking a moment to breathe and take it all in.
We had so many people come out to support us (and, come on, let’s face it – you know how people love to just hang out at Ninja Central) and we had a wonderful time catching up, laughing, and talking a little business in the process.
I was truly touched by how many people came out to offer their well wishes, bring a bottle of wine or a bouquet of flowers, and tell us how proud they were of us. I found myself surreptitiously wiping a tear or two here and there. (Some Ninja, huh? Sheesh. Just call me Sappy Ninja.) But, it meant so much to me that they genuinely cared.
Think Tank has been growing rapidly, and this past year has seen so many changes for our unique firm. Not only have we quadrupled our space and tripled our staff, but we’ve accomplished so many other things as well. We’ve launched products nationally. We have branded companies and taken them to market. We rocked out CreateAthon and helped local non-profits. We shot nationally placed commercials. We’ve helped companies grow in ways they never thought possible in the current state of the economy. We’ve laughed. We’ve danced. We’ve taken off in the middle of the day and gone on a convertible road trip. We’ve worked late. We’ve shot video of ourselves that we should never let anyone see. We’ve grown. We’ve learned. We’ve worked harder than we ever thought humanly possible. And, we’ve had a hell of a lot of fun.
We are those fortunate few who love what we do. Coming to work on a Monday morning is a joy – something to look forward to. We all gather, coffee in hand, and talk about our weekends, and the funny stories that are our lives. We sit down for our staff meeting and we laugh as we get our work done. We brainstorm until our brains cry, “Uncle!” We finish each other’s sentences. We can give each other a look and know without words what the other is thinking. We are a family.
Of course, we couldn’t do what we do without our clients. Let me just say this…no one – NO ONE – could have better clients than we do. Our clients are passionate, funny, talented, smart, and a blast to work with. We have clients we’ve traveled around the country with like Freedom Gates. We have clients like Gems of Virtues who bring us presents like the Ninja vs. Ninja game. Some of our clients like Wang Gang Asian bring us food to sustain us during our CreateAthon. Other clients call to talk to us when they are having a bad day or need to bounce ideas off of us. Our clients are part of our amazing family. And, let me tell you, no one is gonna have a more diverse Thanksgiving table than our Think Tank family!
So, in closing, I want to say thank you.
Thank you to my hardworking Ninjas who I love fiercely. You inspire me and make me push myself harder every day. I love you guys and know how lucky I am to have your talents, your spirit, and your genius. I pinch myself. (And, I know you are going to pop me a good one in the arm Monday morning for getting all sentimental in this blog…watch for that video on YouTube!)
Thank you to all our clients who have believed in us, recommended us, and have become our friends. Not only have we learned something from each of you, but you have allowed us to be wacky, crazy, touching, brilliant, and oftentimes funny while propelling your brand. Thanks for loving us for who we are and not asking us to change. (Yes, the song “I love you just the way you are” just floated into my head. Sorry, I have no excuse – except maybe delirium from over-happiness). Anyway, I digress, all of us Ninjas know we have the best, most rockin’ clients a marketing firm could ask for!
I can only imagine what the next year will bring for the Ninjas. I know what the plan is . . .but . . . so far we have been moving at lightning speed compared to the conservative 5 year plan I had laid out that dark night a few years ago as I wore my glasses and scribbled feverishly in a notebook, lamp light burning, on my strategic plan for Think Tank.
What I do know is that as long as we continue to conduct business with integrity, step up to the plate and help our community, produce award-winning work, and have so much fun at work that it should be criminal the sky is the limit.
And, seriously, what more could a gaggle of Ninjas ask for?